LDS/BSA Relations

If some of you don't know most Varsity Teams are attached to the LDS Church.  The Varsity Team is used for the group of boys ages 14-15.  Since boys at this age are usually trying to check out of Scouting, Varsity High Adventure is used to reel them back into the program and attempts to keep them involved in Scouting.  I also run the Varsity Huddle (Roundtable) for all Coaches (Scoutmasters for Teams).  In this endevor I have found that our literature says that we should be competing against other Teams.  So I called the DE and asked him if he could help me plan a Varsity event.  During this planning session, these are some of the thoughts that were shared with me:

• My Council covers 13 HUGE counties yet only has 401 Varsity Scouts enrolled.
• LDS/BSA relations are difficult because of the LDS side.  We make our own rules for how things should run and instead of sticking with the proven Patrol Method, decide to use Priesthood lines of authority.  Why not run it the way it was written by the BSA?  They don't even run their LDS Varsity units the way they should!
• Mormons are a snooty bunch and try to exclude BSA Scouters instead of being good "missionaries" and inviting those not of our faith into our groups.  It doesn't help that the LDS in the area are affluent and hence exclude people even more.
• I comment that we should punish Mormons by not re-chartering units until they follow the BSA and stop running it the way they want.  Laughter all around from my comment because of the money that BSA would loose by having so many units not registered.

It angers me that we have accepted The Boy Scouts of America as the "activity arm" of the Aaronic Priesthood yet we dictate how (and when) we use it.  It angers me that I have a bad name because of my fellow Mormons.